…to the host of Phillies fans who hang out here in the comments. 13-4 down the stretch by the Phillies is pretty remarkable, and that finish evens the historical score on one of the most astounding collapses in major league history (where have you gone, Ritchie Allen?).
Sorry, Mets fans. But the Phils were the better team, and they deserved the division title.
As for the Rockies, they live to play another day — though to make the playoffs as the wild card team, they will have to beat Jake Peavy, the likely NL Cy Young Award Winner, at home tomorrow.
I predicted back in April that the Rockies would win 88 and mount a surprise challenge for the wild card. Turns out it took 89 wins to do that. Which makes me wish I had predicted 90, and spared myself the heartburn I’ve been experiencing all week.
Anyway, I’ll be tending my Rockies shrine until game time tomorrow, so you may have to get along without me for another day. Or I could pop in with some posts, if I can find a moment of political clarity.
If there are any guest posters left — and looking at this weekend’s output would suggest there aren’t — feel free to post Monday.
I’d wish you luck but I live in Dallas and we have the Rangers, so anti-luck is all we got when it comes to baseball. Now, if you need bad juju let me know.
Shhh – I’m on my way down to Coors Field to open the door to the humidor… Peavy will be neutralized, and I like the Rox chances in a slugfest with the Dads…
Frankly, I’d really rather the Phils wouldn’t face the Rox. Too hot now, fine thanks. That said, I’ll be pulling for them just for you. Today, my little boy and I were jumping up and down clapping our hands, having a grand old time. He’s too young to know what’s going on really, but it was awesome all the same.
Not that I’m enamored of the idea of facing the Rockies, but don’t forget, my friend, even if you get by Peavey, you’re coming to our house. And this time, the Phils are on a roll. A kaiser roll. I’ll be rooting for you, though.
Goddamn that was wonderful watching the last out in the morgue that was Shea today, and then switching back for the last three outs at CBP. For my final word on the Amazin’s, see The Pub. What a glorious day.
(Whiny girl voices) “Let’s go, Mets! Let’s go, Mets! Let’s go Mets!”
STFU.
Go. Phils.
So, my Diamondbacks are in with 90 wins, the lowest win total by any team since the League changed to 162 games in 1961. That’s good enough. Just Barely counts in Baseball.
Somebody tie a goat or two up in Bank One’s visitor’s locker room by Wednesday…
– As a Padres fan, using the word at the nadar of its meaning, and thereby representing a subset of the cubs eternal hall of crushing disappoinments, I have no doubt that Peavy will toss a great game, emphasis on “toss”. But then what do you expect from a town with a fanbase of 3 million geriatrics, and a left over 70’s folk song dude that actually penned that horrid “We are the champions” tribute to sufficating smarmyness. After all, the Padres have to keep pace with the Chargers, who seem hell bent on repeating last years record season of 14 and 2, except in reverse order. Yes its true. I live in a giant assisted living commune, where every “wave” at the stadium results in two dozen ambulance trips to Sharp memorial.
Unless I’ve been hallucinating all these years, which is a distinct possibility, there have been many teams who have gotten in the playoffs with 80-some wins. The Cards did it just last year.
What am I saying? In fact, the Phils have 89 wins, the Cubs have 85, and either the Pads or the Rockies will have 89.
I know I promised to root for the Rockies, but the Cubies are so lovable. It’s my fault.
Is it just me, or was this the most exciting weekend in American sports in, like, forever? With the NL finish, all the insane college football games (Go Bears! Number 3! Woot!), and whatever happened in the NFL today (not a fan of pro football), shit was crazy!
Good luck against Peavey. I’m pulling for yiz, because I like the Phil’s chances better against the Rockies than the Padres.
The NL Playoffs start Wednesday (tomorrow’s game is technically a regular season game). King Cole started Friday (and pitched great), so he’s all queued up for games 1 & 5. The Rockies have never faced him.
Welcome to the Revenge of ’64.
Hall is Oates,
Shields, Yarnell,
Quake is Quisp,
The Thompson Twins have 3 people in the group.
The Phillies are Division Champs.
Nothing makes sense anymore.
All the Phillies need now to win the World Series is for the ghost of Robin Roberts to come down and give Adam Eaton some debillitating, but curable, disease that lasts about three weeks, but doesn’t affect Eaton’s trade value. Though, since Roberts isn’t actually dead, maybe he can just sneeze on Eaton a couple of times.
–
BumpStick;
Since the playoffs only require a 4 man rotation baseball will be spared the king of no command. They may not even let him in the bullpen.
Jeff, obviously I’m seriously happy today but gracious enough to say “right back at cha'” with regards to the Rocks. Playing in the toughest division in the NL makes their run to this game all the more remarkable, especially with the high quality of pitching they have to face. As much as I’d rather not face that lineup with our suspect pitching, A Rocks – Phils series might be the most entertaining of the playoffs. Also, the Pad’s don’t deserve to go because of them holding Peavey back from the final game of the season. WTF? Win the damn game you have and not worry about the next one fer cryin’ out loud!
I hope the Rocks pound the living snot out of Peavey and his boys.
– Never fear BJT. We always save our best tank for last, so we can go out on a losing note. Its whats for dinner…….
I was so happy I called everyone I knew in NYC just to gloat…
…then the “football” game started.
BB:
Don’t get me wrong. I like the team and their pitching staff is to die for (this coming from a Phillies fan whose pitching staff consistes of Hamels, 3 back end bullpen horses and a collection of guys holding back a rickety dam with split bamboo poles.) Not to mention the fact that your luck meter tapped out by losing Cameron and Bradley on the same day.
That said, please explain to me the Peavey decision. That one has me scratching my head. If he gets pounded at Coors today there’ll be some serious second guessing at the assisted living facility.
CraigC:
A kaiser roll? I may have to strip you of your Philadelphia Sports Franchise Booster Club membership card.
It’s Amoroso rolls For The Win. C’mon now. I’m a transplant from Minnesota and even I know that.
Sheesh. You probably like the faux-Schmitter they serve at CBP better than the real thing…
Oh, and go E-A-G-L-E-S-EAGLES! Way to set an NFL record for sacks. Allowed sacks, that is. (We’ll leave my Vikes out of the conversation for now…)
I’m sorry. Was there a football game on last night?
Hmmmm….
Football game? No.
Schoolyard beat-down? Yes.
I absolutely hateses the Tom Coughlinses, so a Giants win couple with an Eagles loss is basically a wash AFAIAC.
Maybe they should’ve asked the league to keep wearing those hideous canary unis…
Oh, and go E-A-G-L-E-S-EAGLES! Way to set an NFL record for sacks. Allowed sacks, that is. (We’ll leave my Vikes out of the conversation for now…)
I remember being at a Dallas-Houston game when I was a kid where Warren Moon was sacked 12 times. So I guess the Iggles just tied the record.
BJTexs —
Peavy got hit hard last time he pitched on 3-days rest. Had he gotten hit hard yesterday, the Pads would be starting a play-in game for the wild card at Coors with Tomko.
And Tomko was something like 3-0 this month, wasn’t he?
The decision made perfect sense. Tomko was hot, the Brewers had nothing much to play for (I’ll never forgive Fielder for sitting his fat ass out; MVP? Whatever. Try playing for pride, brother), so keeping Peavy on his normal schedule was the right choice.
Had the Pads won, Peavy is set for the first game of the playoffs against the Phils. Had he pitched yesterday, he wouldn’t have been ready. So Black made what I think was the right call.
I declare inconvenient and uncomfortable threadjacking!
I would like us to get back to the all man love for the Phillies all the time thread. Like I think it’s now unlikely that Manuel will be sacked now and ….
Crap!
Uh, no. Either the Pads or Rockies will have 90.
The Pad, Rocks, and Phils all finished the first 162 with 89-73 records. The Diamondbacks won 90.
[…] Mr. Goldstein, you got to go down. The Colorado Rockies’ late-season surge set up one wild […]
Fielder didn’t play yesterday? Somebody ought to be hamsrung for that. Besides, A-Rod has the MVP absolutely locked in the AL. He had a year for the ages.
Hmmmm … your comments on Peavey make sense. Perhaps I was a bit hasty in condemning the Pads and Black for that decision.
Whatever! Hope the Rocks spank ’em anyway, if for nothinbg else than the possibility of a World Series game in November in Denver!
The thought of it makes me chortle.
Jeff: The one-day playoff doesn’t count for the regular-season record. Did you notice Scott Van Pelt the other night on Sportscenter saying that he didn’t see how Holliday couldn’t get the MVP with his numbers? And he’s a Philly guy (and a Maryland grad, to boot. Ya think he’s my favorite ESPN anchor?). But, given the East Coast bias, it’s going to be awfully tough to get by Rollins’ performance yesterday. Consider: It’s a perfect, sunny day for baseball. Rollins is at the plate, with two outs and The Natural on third, and the pennant on the line. The crowd is waving their rally towels and chanting (with an odd, perfect enunciation of each letter) “M…..V….P…..M…..V…..P,” and he smokes an RBI triple down the right field line. He also played his usual stellar defense, and he set the tone in the first inning by singling, stealing second and then third, and scoring on Utley’s sac fly.
Zamoose: Dude. It’s an expression. Although yours would have been funnier, I’ll grant you that.
Yea, yea I know the Brewers are in the National League. I’m just dizzy with elation, is all!
CraigC:
You should do what I’ve taken to doing: rooting for the “alternative” Philly teams. For instance, the Philadelphia Barrage just won the Major League Lacrosse (outdoor) title for the second year in a row, the Wings and Phantoms always place well, and you could even root for the Kixx if you were feeling particularly frisky.
Derrr, the Barrage’s website somehow was dropped from my last comment, so, well, there you go…
Then BOTH the Pads and Rockies ALREADY have 89 wins.
I think Rollins will be given the MVP, too — though Holliday deserves it. East Coast bias, plus he brashly predicted the Phils would win the division.
Hell, if DiMaggio can win in a year that Ted Williams won the triple crown, there’s nothing I’ll put past sports writers. How many are there in NY and Philadelphia with votes? I think we have 1 out here.
But it was sunny here yesterday, too. And in the seventh, with Tulo on base after an error, and the final score of the Brewers/Pads game just posted on the scoreboard, the MVP chants for Holliday were answered when he lined a single off the first baseman into right, allowing Tulowitzki to make it to third. This after a half inning in which Fuentes came in with 2 on, 1 out, and the Diamondbacks having just tied the game off Jorge Julio, and struck out Conor Jackson and Jeff Cirillo.
After a Helton walk, Atkins singles, and Hawpe follows with a double to give the Rockies a 4-1 lead.
So we all have our idyllic moments, I guess.
Well, if Peavy can’t shut the Rockies down with playoffs on the line, then the Padres have no business in the playoffs. Though I’d sure like Milton Bradley back right about now.
Then BOTH the Pads and Rockies ALREADY have 89 wins.
That’s what I said. I used the future tense because we don’t know which one of them will win today.
Jeff, just a side note, if you’re ever wondering about your level of influence, proteinwisdom.com is page-ranked higher than lgf, at the same level as hotair. May seem kind of irrelevant, but I assure you beyond the wash of technical terminology it is actually important.
lgf: 5
hotair: 6
proteinwisdom: 6
instapundit: 7
dailyk*s: 7
As to how this turns into changing policy decisions and/or creating income, that’s up to you.
(This offtopic post brought to you by Claussen Dill pickles. mmmmmmm.)
RiverC:
Linky please?
Sorry, Mets fans. But the Phils were the better team, and they deserved the division title.
Jeff, the right way to say this is: The Phils were the slightly less mediocre team. Neither team was good. If the Mets hadn’t imploded in September, the Phils would have finished 10 games out, despite their surge. And because the Mets did implode, the Phils won by a single game. Fair and square, but whoopdedoo.
Fact is, though, that as the Cards proved last year, mediocre teams can become World Champions. Which is a reassuring thing for the Phils.
I don’t think 89 win teams are mediocre, particularly in the Western division, which featured a 90 win team and a pair of 89 win teams (and a fourth, the Dodgers, with 82 wins).
Unlike, say, the Yankees and Red Sox, teams in the NL west didn’t have an Orioles or Devil Rays to beat up on. At best, they had the Giants, who feature a very good starting rotation (but not a whole lot to speak about offensively). Cain, Zito, Lowry, Lincecum. On a last place team. Not bad.
I think there’s more parity than mediocrity happening in the NL these days.
The Mets weren’t a very good team after the first couple months of the season. Whereas the Rockies, for instance, were second only to the Yankees in record over the season’s final 4+ months.
That doesn’t speak to mediocrity, I don’t think. And the Phil’s 13-4 finish (and the Padres weren’t much worse at 11-6) aren’t the records of mediocre teams.
The Phils have one of the best lineups in baseball. Ditto with the Rockies.
And as I noted upthread, the Rockies led the NL in pitching after the all star break.
These aren’t mediocre teams. They are two teams that got off to bad starts, one of which is in the playoffs, the other of which had to win 13 out of 14 just to have a shot, because all the “mediocre” teams leading the NL played well above .600 down the stretch.
Oh. And just as a reminder, the Rockies won 2 of 3 against Boston (handing Beckett his first loss of the season and beating Schilling, losing only 2-1 to Wakefield); and they swept the Yankees.
So don’t let won-less records fool you.
Again, the Rocks lost 3/5 of their starting rotation in mid July. Making what they’ve done all the more impressive. They now have a rotation that consists of Jeff Francis, with Josh Fogg their number 2 starter. The 3 and 4 starters are up from AA. The fifth starter(s) was released by two or three teams this year (Mark Redman and Elmer Dessens — who also got injured).
Ok, everybody in the Bronx, let’s GIVE ‘EM A CHEER!
“The one-day playoff doesn’t count for the regular-season record.”
Yes it does, it’s part of the regular season.
Attila:
Bitterness: It becomes you. (bwaaa haha)
Oh, sorry dicentra. If you search for ‘google pagerank’ you’ll find this at about the sixth or seventh place: Pagerank ‘calculator’. You can also get plugins and widgets that do the same. Indeed, you could even view the patent information on wikipedia.
One outcome of the Rox unreal run at the division crown may be Tulowitzki overtaking Ryan Braun for NL ROY. I’d still vote for Braun, but I wouldn’t carp if Tulo won, either.
One consequence of the Brewers’ forcing of a playoff is that Jeff can’t decently complain much if made-for-TV Prince Fielder wins MVP, contradictorily though he didn’t play the last game against the Padres.
Hey Jeff: I hope you enjoy the dulcet tones of Don Orsillo, our beloved Red Sox play-by-play man. He’s one of the best in the biz, and I know you’ll appreciate his work as much as we do. Go Rox!
Two quick runs in the first! Gogo Rox!
Gack… that’s some “José Mesa”-level bum closer action right there.
Maybe even Mitch Williams-esque.
Err – that was in reference to the Rox pitcher in the top of the 13th. The Pad’s non-save in the bottom of the 13th was, shall we say, unexpected.
Jeff,
Congratulations on tonight’s win! You and I exchanged baseball comments in April (your wife went to a Dodgers-Rockies game that I was at, too) and you said that you had high hopes for your team. Glad your team came through even though mine sucks. One of us should be happy.
I’ll cheer for your team for the remainder of the year. Next year, though, bets are off!
Onward, Carlos
Go Rockies!
Dude never tagged the bag – we wuz robbed!
(Disregard that homer that bounced off the fat lady’s wheelchair)
Ah, y’know…just because y’all screwed over my head.
H**y F***ing S***! The Rockies won! Congrats, Jeff. On to Philadelphia.. Oh, crap.
Congratulations, Jeff. It’s nice to see someone’s faith rewarded once in a while.
Holy shit Colorado won. Greatest single-game playoff ever. Congratulations, Jeff, I was pulling for the Rocks and they made this game into an all-time great. THIS GAME EXPLAINS WHY BASEBALL IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN FOOTBALL.
Greatest single-game playoff ever.
No, that would be Game 5 1980 NLCS.
Very happy for Jeff and the Rocks. Definitely think the ump was blocked on the last call and reacted to the fact that Holliday didn’t go back to the plate (we now know because he was stunned). But hey, they were down by two and came back. My hat’s off to ’em. I just hope they are really tired tomorrow in Philly.
You mean I might have to drive all the way back to Denver for the World Series? Damn, I hate when that happens..
Thanks to the article, Now there is more reason to comment than ever before!